


Ramen

by kemor



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, Pregnancy, Touken, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kemor/pseuds/kemor
Summary: A short commission written for my friend.Touka lets her husband know she's expecting in a typical Touka way. A way of (slight)bullying.





	Ramen

Tokyo was, as usual, loud. And crowded. The scorching heat, however, did not stop people from filling the streets up, many of them carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. A certain family was no different from the rest of the crowd. At least on the surface.

A girl with black and white hair was walking in the middle between her parents, both of them holding her hand. She was currently facing her father, her face decorated with a bright, wide smile.

"So when you were gone those few days, you were helping Uncle Shuu, Papa?" asked the girl.

Her dad nodded with a smile. "Yes. We had to visit somewhere and since it was far, that's why it took us so long." he said and pulled on his shirt, almost as if afraid she will see his bandaged torso through the clothes.

"Can I come with you next time?" the girl asked hopefully.

Her dad's face dropped for a second, soon replaced by a troubled smile. "I, uh...I am not sure...I work late, so it will be past your bedtime..." he stuttered and grabbed his chin with his free hand.

The girl continued to use puppy eyes against her father, who was slowly on the brink of losing. Seeing this, her mom coughed gently, which quickly knocked the girl down a notch. "Knock it off, Ryouko. Your dad's work is dangerous, you're too young to tag along." said Touka gently, but sternly.

Ryouko sighed in defeat and pouted, her eyes now glued to her shoes. "Okay."

Kaneki laughed at his daughter's disappointment and squeezed her hand to get her attention back. "Maybe I can bring you to the office one day. The last time you accompanied me you were very little, you probably don't even remember it. I am sure the others will be happy to meet you, too."

This brought the girl's mood back, as she grinned widely and nodded. "Thanks, Papa!"

Touka smiled and looked at her husband, giving him a familiar nod. He smirked as well and without a warning they lifted their daughter up in the air by her arms, which surprised her, but soon made her giggle and beg for more.

"That reminds me..." said Touka as they continued to lift Ryouko up. "Didn't they ask you for help again yesterday?"

Kaneki looked at his wife. "Yeah, they did". Touka's eyes narrowed, which he took as a sign to quickly follow up. "They said it's nothing major, so I agreed on the spot. I hope that's okay."

"That's all I needed to know."

They continued to walk down the street and soon took a corner. Touka looked at her husband, who was now staring at the pavement. He looked tired, the bags under his eyes slowly but surely becoming a permanent detail of his appearance, his face weary and paler than usual, if that was even possible. Although they were living in peace, Tokyo still had its shadows that haunted ghouls and humans alike during the night. Shadows he wanted to deal with by himself, like he used to in the past.

She looked away and smiled. He wouldn't have told her what was wrong even if she asked, and cheering him up after that would be pointless. Instead she decided to run him over like a truck, without any room for escape. She wanted to keep it away from him for a while longer, but desperate times called for desperate means. How should she do it though...?

Like a sign from God himself, her eyes laid on a sign placed on the ground just before the front window of a small restaurant. With a mischievous smirk on her lips, she initiated her plan.

Touka sighed theatrically and grabbed her neck with her free hand, massaging it gently. Kaneki blinked and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just became tired all of a sudden..."

"Oh. Should we head back?"

"We're already going in our home's direction though."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Silence fell between the family, but it was a quiet one. They were just several meters away from the restaurant. The time has come.

"Hey, Ken." she called out to him.

"Yeah?"

"What does ramen taste like?"

Kaneki's eyes widened in slight surprise at the question. "It's...uh...it depends. There are many kinds, but...if I were to choose one thing they have in common it's that most of them are based on some sort of meat and they are all very rich in fat. It's a heavy but tasty dish." he explained. "Why are you asking, though?" he asked, before spotting the sign of the ramen place they were just passing by.

"Huh. I see." hummed Touka under her nose and stopped walking. "Let's stop by and grab some." she declared and quickly turned to her daughter, ignoring her husband on purpose, who was now as tense as a concrete pole. She was starting to have lots of fun with this already. "What do you say, honey? Wanna grab some ramen?" she asked the girl.

Ryouko beamed and started to rapidly nod in happiness. "Yeah!"

Touka's smile widened and she grabbed her daughter's hand while standing up. She turned to her husband, who was staring at her in disbelief, sweat running down his face. It took everything she had to not burst out laughing. "It's kinda crowded in here, so let's go with takeout, what do you say?" she asked her daughter who nearly peed herself from happiness.

"You coming?" she asked him and passed him by with Ryouko. She couldn't help her shit eating smirk. Kaneki gulped loudly and followed them to the store like a robot.

After ordering and receiving their two portions of food, both meant for the girls since Kaneki did not even bother ordering anything, they walked out of the restaurant. As soon as the door closed behind them, Kaneki grabbed his wife's hand and started to drag her behind him, the bag occupying her other hand, their daughter running behind them while laughing. Under normal circumstances she would have already smacked him for it, but right now she was too amused to care. She knew she had achieved her goal.

Not even five minutes later the door to their home shut close behind them with a loud thud. Kaneki ripped the bag out of Touka's hand and placed it on the kitchen table, pulling the bowls out a second later. He then kneeled before his daughter and smiled best to his ability. "Why don't you sit down and eat while I talk to Mommy for a second?"

"Okay!" nodded Ryouko with a smile and climbed the chair, unwrapping her food a moment later. Kaneki quickly grabbed Touka's hand and pulled her to their bedroom. He basically threw her inside with enough force she fell onto the bed. She didn't mind though, he got a pass just for today. He closed the door and leaned on it, his head hanging low.

They were silent, Touka watching her husband in amusement, her legs dandling off the bed freely, and Kaneki still by the door.

"Does it...does it mean what I think it does?" he broke the silence after a minute, his voice shaky and uncertain.

Touka bit her lip and made a thoughtful sound. She wasn't yet ready to stop bullying him - one more minute wouldn't hurt.

"And what do you think  _ it _ is?" she asked doing her best to make her voice sound as innocent and ignorant as possible.

She nearly blew her cover, laughter muffled by her hand with difficulty - seeing him get red to the point of his ears changing color was just too much. He was like a kid.

"The last time you had human food was when we were about to have Ryoukou." he choked out after a minute. "So, if you've decided to try it now after so many years, then..."

Her face relaxed. She was still smiling, but it was no longer a playful smirk. Now it was genuine and warm. "Yes, it does. At least I think so."

Kaneki slowly turned around. His face was still red, but it was much gentlier. He looked shocked, but not in a wrong way. Somewhere behind his tired and surprised eyes was joy, joy he hasn't shown in a long time. "Again?" he asked quietly, willing to be absolutely certain. He received a very gentle nod in return.

Ken's lips curved into a smile. He gently walked up to Touka and kneeled right before her, his eyes going dwon from her face to her stomach. He stared at it for a moment, his right hand gently twitching after being raised up. Touka picked up on his intents and helped him by grabbing it and placing it on her stomach. He caressed it for a moment, before looking up to meet her eyes. They were misty.

Touka gently sighed through her nose. "You may have gotten older but you're still the same crybaby I've met in that alley 10 years ago..." she taunted him before being interrupted by a hug. Kaneki quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, tears now flowing down his face. "I'm so happy..." he mumbled into the crook of her neck.

Feeling that she was being moved herself, Touka smiled and hugged him back. "Me too."

He pulled away and wiped his eyes. His face has returned to its usual pale color and his eyes were a little red, but he no longer looked fatigued. It was almost as if life has returned to his face. And this was exactly her goal.

"Should we tell Ryouko?" he grabbed her hand and asked her in a cheerful voice. "Oh, we should tell Ayato as well! And Yomo, and Hinami, and-"

"I've only found out recently myself." she interrupted him and pulled his hand to get him away from the door. He got overexcited. "Why don't we just keep it a family secret for now? Just the three of us. When we are absolutely sure, then we can tell everyone."

He nodded gently, much to her relief. "Okay, then. Let's go tell Ryouko."

Touka nodded gently and the pair left the room. They stepped back in the kitchen, only to be met by their daughter's messy face greeting them from above her bowl. They both shook their heads but were not mad. As Kaneki walked over to the counter to pick up some paper towels, Touka watched her family. This is what she wanted. This is what they all deserved. She caressed her stomach and felt a single tear flowing down her face.

This is what they have been fighting for all these years. This is why they've been spilling blood for so long. And as she watched her husband walk up to her daughter and relay the news, with the girl almost smothering him with her arms in joy, it convinced her of one thing.

That it was all worth it.

 


End file.
